Of Blood and Soul
by NushiKasai
Summary: In world where everyone is 'bonded' by soul to a certain species of animal, Sakura Haruno must travel to the Land of Wind with the rest of Team Seven as they search for their own bonded soul-animals. Add on a confusing Kazekage, difficult travelling companions and assassins out for her head and Sakura soon realises that finding a soul-animal is not as easy as she'd thought.


**So I am not American and will therefore spell certain words differently: some words will have an 's' instead of a 'z' for example. Okay, enjoy!**

* * *

The eyes were yellow and piercing as they stared deeply into mine. It was a game; a challenge to see just who would relent and blink first.

I lost.

My lids folded over and the connection was lost. With a scowl, I stood and glared down at the ground where my former opponent sat.

"Be as happy as you like," I snobbishly pouted at the small house cat, which grew bored with his company and preferred to start licking underneath his left leg. "You won't be as happy when I come home tonight specialised."

A smile crossed my features at the very thought of my upcoming test. I had been through other important tests, but this was the strongest. It was the culture of the world; our lives and status depended entirely on what animal we specialised on. On the sixteenth birthday of every child, a test is held to determine what animal we specialise in; what animal in bonded to us in soul and blood.

The Haruno clan was among the First Men of the known world; we trace our ancestry back for generations. The Council of the First Men consisted of a family representing each major animal of the land.

Today, we hold strong influence in the world. It is up to me to continue the honour of our family. To do this, I must specialise in the animal of my clan; to do otherwise will cost me the title of heir to the Haruno name.

With this thought in mind, the servants beside me rushed to show my appearance and after pressing out the creases in my dress, I exited my chambers and headed outside of the Haruno estate.

My parents awaited me as I closed the doors shut behind me and descend the stairs. My mother, dressed as stunningly as ever, was swathed in silks and materials befitting of her status, whilst her Red-Crowned crane sauntered behind her; snapping its neck into the pond of our garden to receive a snack. My father stood stiffly, quite miffed, I think that the heir to the clan was not a male, but still proud, none-the-less. His Kori Bustard scratched at the ground at his feet and called out every now and then as though it sensed my father's unrest.

It felt strange to know that I soon would also have a companion bird beside me…hopefully.

"Sakura," my father greeted me with a nod. He had always pretended to be an uptight man, but I knew that he loved me. I had seen it many times but he was still a man of business and today was a day that called for seriousness. "You will do us proud, I know."

"Good luck, my daughter," my mother smiled tenderly, holding none of the reservations my father had. That had always been our way; my mother had always said what my father could not. "We look forward to the results this evening."

I nodded and plastered a grin onto my face, whilst the nerves rumbled away in my stomach. I tried desperately to ignore them, but I fear that I was failing miserably.

How were you ever actually excited about this? I scowl inwardly before following my parents out of the estate. I struggled to think that this might be the last time I stood here as a child…as an unspecialised girl. When I returned, I would be a woman; a woman with a companion.

Hopefully.

* * *

"Please take a seat, Lady Haruno," the instructor told me and I was quick to obey.

The seat was placed in front of at least ten other children, all who looked equally as nervous as me. Some were nobility, and I recognised them from soirees, but most were just common folk and were as blank to me as algebra.

I resisted the urge to squirm in anticipation, as I was the first child to be tested. Lucky me, I suppose. I would be tested, and then would leave the room. It was simple, really; I was to sit down and be observed as the prominent and most common animals were placed near me. If I was specialised with them, they would be drawn to me.

The instructor returned, this time with a python in his hands. To be honest, snakes had always frightened me a little, and the moment the animal touched the ground and the instructor released it, my pulse sped its beat.

_Don't come near me, don't come near_ _me_, I prayed to myself from fear of both dishonour and the actual animal.

Thankfully, the python didn't approach me. Instead, it slithered over to the edge that held the other present children at bay and tried to climb over before the instructors stopped it with a cry of alarm. Well, at least that proved that someone here was going to specialise with snakes today.

The next animal they brought out was a wolf.

Yet another animal that I wasn't the fondest of. The instructors reassured me that the animal had been fed recently, and that it would have no cause to attack me and therefore mess up the results, but I still wasn't calm as the leash was pulled off of the animal.

It sniffed the air once and settled it's gaze onto me. I was reminded of the staring contest I'd held with my cat earlier in the day, and this time I didn't resist blinking and turning my head away to avoid. My pray rushed to my head once more and I begged that the animal did not step my way.

It didn't. It merely sat down stiffly. I peeked at it as the instructors rushed out to take it away, and there was something about the way the beast watched me intently that unsettled me. It was like it expected something else from me; something more.

They returned with a lizard. A big one with a frilled neck that puffed out as it hissed at the crowd. It was set down in front of me, and I raised my eyebrow at the animal.

It watched me back, and for a horrible moment, I thought that it was going to walk towards me. The fear began in my stomach and I resisted the urge to jump up and run from the building.

But then the animal opened its mouth and hissed violently at me, and I knew that I was safe. For no specialised animal would react negatively to its bonded.

The next animal was a fish. A small, golden-coloured fish held in an elaborate tank with a hole cut up through the top of one side while small creature rested in the corner.

The instructor held the tank out to me and gestured to the hole. I soon caught on; if the animal responded to my touch in the water, then it would be my bonded. I tried to quell the pessimistic thoughts that told me the animal simply might mistake me as food and swim for that reason.

I could not be bonded with a fish. The specific animal of my clan ate fish for breakfast! I would be looked down on for the rest of my life!

But thankfully, the fish ignored me and simply swam over to the opposite corner of the tank.

The next animal was a tiger.

I had read of tigers; the majestic beasts of such power. They were one of my favourite animals as a child, but of course, I could not be bonded to them.

And yet, I was unable to tear my eyes away from the beast as it set its eyes onto me. There was such a regal emotion in its gaze; it was the face of a creature that knew it could tear me to pieces in a moment.

If there was ever a creature that I could stand being bonded to despite the dishonour it would bring…it would be a tiger.

But I couldn't. And so I tore my eyes away from the beast and prayed that it would not take an interest in me.

Like the wolf before it, it laid down onto the ground in a majestic position and surveyed me as it would its prey before the instructors led it away.

Then the bird came out. It was a cassowary; a flightless bird so that it would not escape if a child was not it's bonded.

It was released in front of my, and I felt my fingers clench tightly around the seat of my chair. This was my animal; it had to be. I resisted the urge to leap off and run to it; if I did that, the instructors would have to start again, and they'd be annoyed with me.

I didn't need to, anyway.

The bird perked up its head and stared right at me. My heart rate rose dramatically, and then the ost beautiful thing ever happened.

The cassowary stepped forward.

I released a sigh of relief as the bird trod its way over to me and I smiled it bobbed its head with every movement. It didn't take its eyes off of me for a moment.

The instructors rushed forward and forced the bird away from me, and I grinned happily at them; glad that I could return home that evening and make my parents proud.

"I'll ask you to proceed to the next room, Haruno Sakura," the lead instructor told me, and I gratefully obliged.

I was glad I had specialised accordingly, but as I wandered off through the next doors, I was unable to get the piercing gaze of the tiger out of my mind.

That was probably my first sign.

* * *

They took a small blood test.

The final stage involved observing how my blood reacted to the bloods of the variously collected blood samples of bird animals. The one my blood was drawn towards would be my specialised animal.

I waited patiently in the area as the other children gradually made their way into the room. A young boy sat beside me; a common boy and I resisted the urge to raise my eyebrows. It was not usual for one of a lower class to associate with a higher born.

"Good afternoon," he greeted me quietly, and I smiled welcomingly at him.

"Hello," I replied tenderly, as I imagined my mother would when she greeted someone. "What's your name?"

"Sai," he answered, before raising his eyes to meet mine. I resisted the shock that I felt at seeing his pure black irises.

There was no tinged colour about them; they were entirely a dark shade of ebony. I was unable to separate iris from pupil.

"I'm Sakura Haruno," I nodded with a beam at him, and was unable to resist adding on, "I specialised in birds, like my family before me."

The boy was silent for a moment, before smiling softly back at me in reply.

"I specialised in snakes," he replied with an unreadable expression, "But I don't know anything about my family, so I can't say whether its blood related or not."

I struggled to contain the shock I felt; I had led a rather sheltered life and had rarely spoken to an orphan common child before. A rush of pity ran through me, but there was also a slight feeling of envy.

He does not have any honour to life up to. That is both sad and enviable at the same time.

"Sai Go," the boy's name was called out, and I felt a frown tug at my lips. I was here before him, why wasn't I getting called out first? The instructor had a clipboard in his hands, and he gazed down at the boy expectantly. "You are specialised to the Brown Snake. Please return here tomorrow morning to receive instructions on finding your companion."  
The boy nodded silently at me in dismissal before he wandered softly out of the room, leaving me feeling quite miffed. I hate it when people cut in front of me; it's not fair.

And it wasn't the end.

Slowly, all of the other children, who had been after me, were announced before I was, and I was not very happy about it at all. I surmised that I had been in the room for almost three hours when it was just me and three other children left.

_This is outrageous_, I kept thinking to myself, _that I, a highborn daughter of nobility am left waiting for this long. _

Finally, as another child was announced, I stood up and strode furiously over to the counter. A panel of glass covered the instructors and scientists studying the blood samples, and I impatiently tapped to seek their attention.

They gazed up immediately, and then one man walked over to me and opened the door beside him so that I could speak to him.

"Hi, I'm Haruno Sakura," I greeted brusquely, past the point of the most impeccable manners. "And I've been waiting here for hours when I was the first to arrive. What's going on?"

The instructor glanced behind him to the scientists, who had overheard the exchange, and then waved a hand in a gesture for him to continue.

"We apologise for the delay and inconvenience," the man replied amiably, "But we must have accidently skipped the list. We will find your results immediately and notify you of them."

I nodded in acceptance, and turned my back to him as I strode back to my seat with an air of satisfaction. Good, soon I can go home.

But tomorrow will be the most exciting part.

Once you've been specialised, you need to find a companion from your bonded species. Usually, the village groups together small teams who have specialised in species from the same village, so that it's more convenient. That is the most exciting part of the specialising process.

It did not take long for the instructors to return to the room with a clipboard of my results.  
"Once again, please accept our most sincere apologies for the delay, Haruno Sakura," the leading man said, before gazing down at the clipboard. "You have specialised with the Kori Bustard bird."

I could barely contain the grin I felt at his words; the Kori Bustard bird was the same species that my father had specialised with! This would guarantee the upholding of my family's honour; no one could deny my right now that I was bonded like my father.

"Please return here tomorrow morning to receive instructions on finding your companion," the man continued, though I didn't really listen to him properly due to the happiness I felt. Besides, I'd heard the same words repeated continuously throughout the afternoon.

I exited the testing arena and was promptly led back to the Haruno estate, where two very proud parents awaited me.

* * *

The next day was suddenly filled with excitement for me. There was no overshadowing fear of impending dishonour; only the adventure that lay ahead. The journey to find a companion was basically a rite of passage for everyone; once you were bonded, you were officially recognised as an adult.

And so I entered the testing arena with exhilaration pumping through my veins. As I saw the large crowd of other sixteen-year-olds in my village, I couldn't help but wonder which ones of them would be in my traveling team for the Kori Bustard bird.

I'd spoken to my father the night before, and he told me that the Kori Bustard birds preferred hot areas. I was slightly disappointed at this, because the Land of Fire is, as the name suggests, a very hot place and therefore possibly a prime travelling location.

I joined the crowd, and tried to keep to myself so as to not attract any unnecessary attention from anyone. I succeeded, as most people knew other fairly well and I could be rather insecure about myself sometimes.

Finally, the instructors exited their labs with many clipboards and called for our silence. Immediately, it was granted, as we all sought to discover our fates.

The lead instructor stood before us.

"Thank you all for making your way here this morning," he began, "We understand that this is a very important time in your lives, but if you can all cooperate, than this can be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved."

The instructor beside him took a step forward and began to read from his clipboard.

"Today we will announce the groups that you have been grouped in for the undertaking journey to find a companion within your specialised species," he explained, though most of us already knew this, of course. "You have been grouped according to where you need to go. Everyone in your team will be going to the same land as you."

I frowned slightly and gazed around at the other sixteen year old children from Konoha. Which ones would be on my team?

"Let us begin with the Land of Iron," the instructor called out, and a hush fell over the crowd as we anticipated our names. "Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga shall be led by Kurenai Yuuhi."

From the doors off to the side, a woman with wild hair barely contained by her leader-indicative headband entered and gestured that the people called were to follow her.

The three people did as they were bid. I recognised Hinata from a dozen soirees that I'd attended as a young child, but I'd never really spoken to her. If I remembered correctly, I was pretty sure that her family tended to specialise in small birds. I also recognised Kiba; he was of a fairly influential noble family here, and his _name_ basically told him that he would specialise in a dog-related animal.

They were led out of the arena, and the instructor resumed. The various groups of three were all introduced to their team leader before being taken out of the room. I assumed that they were being told where to meet tomorrow, when the journey would begin.

The instructors seemed to be going through the groups in order of Lands. My list of possible locations was growing shorter, and I frowned as I tried to guess who would be coming with me.

But there was no longer any need.

"The Land of Wind," the man called out and I listened intently, as this land was the last guess on my list of possible locations. "Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha shall be led by Kakashi Hatake."

My head snapped up at the names, for I recognised them all. My team members were all of families from the First Men of Konoha, and so their last names immediately caused me to start.

Naruto was the son of the former leader of Konoha, and I had met him briefly at various soirees. He was loud, bold and slightly irritating, but I guess he had his heart in the right place.

Sasuke Uchiha was the second son of the Uchiha clan, and he was the heartthrob of the city. I had seen him at events but had never spoken to him before…though I supposed that that was going to change. I knew one of my old friends, Ino, who had specialised with the Snow Leopard, was a strong fan girl of his, and would not be the happiest with me right now due to my team arrangements.

Kakashi Hatake was a legendary companion of the dog species. Usually, a person will only have one companion of their specialised species, but those who have exceptional ability will be able to train to become an Ally of their species, and will gain the strength and abilities of their species. Our leader, Kakashi, was one of the most skilled of all Allies.

The doors opened and the man himself walked in, followed by his companion Canaan desert dog, and he leaned expectantly against the wall. I recognised this as the gesture to walk over to him, and so I stood up and made my way past the remaining crowd and over towards the man.

As I strode forward, I saw the other two members of my team doing the same.

The Uzumaki boy, Naruto, caught my eye and beamed broadly at me, and I tentatively returned a small smile at him, to which he was very pleased about. It occurred to me that he was probably one of those 'easily-amused' people, and that we should get on perfectly fine.

In a stark contrast, Sasuke Uchiha was stoic and aloof as he barely spared either of us a glance. He walked with a firm purpose and quickly overtook us and arrived beside our team leader first. Even then, he refused to acknowledge us.

Well, okay then, buddy; have it your way. Still…I couldn't help but see why Ino liked him so much; his dark hair and perfectly chiselled face was unblemished and startlingly attractive. He was nice to look at; that I couldn't deny.

"Right then," our team leader surveyed us but spoke lightly. "I am your team leader, Kakashi. You can either call me 'sensei' or 'sama'… Sensei is the official term, but I'm not exactly going to complain at 'sama.'"

I frowned in confusion at his light-hearted behaviour as he referred to the suffixes for teacher and master. Here I'd thought that the legendary Ally would be stoic and aloof; I was very wrong.

"Let's do a head-count," Kakashi pointed at me, as I was to his closest left. "Sakura Haruno, specialised with the Kori Bustard bird."

I nodded my confirmation with an unsure smile on my face and the man moved his finger to beside me, where the quiet Uchiha son stood.

"Sasuke Uchiha, specialised to the Black Mamba snake."

The black haired boy mirrored me in nodding though he offered no smile on his face; only the same stoically blank expression. The man moved his finger to our final member.

"And Naruto Uzumaki, specialised to the Pale Fox."

The boy grinned his assent and held up a big thumbs-up sign while he practically bounced in excitement.

The leader then turned his eyes back to all of us and proceeded to stand straighter in order to overlook us.

"So, tomorrow you all arrive at the gates of Konoha at the break of dawn and pack accordingly," the silver-haired man continued amiably, as he stroked the head of his dog calmly. "The Land of Wind is hot, arid, desert-land; pack for the warm days but also for the cold nights. I will organise the supplies, but we will all be carrying them, so pack as lightly as possible."

After telling us all the necessary details of our upcoming journey before promptly shooing out of the arena.

The doors closed behind us with a slam, and then the intensity of the awkwardness suddenly hit me. Naruto and I exchanged doubtful expressions, but our other team member was as silent as ever.

Suddenly eager to be out of the crushing environment, I sighed and raised a hand in dismissal as I began to step out onto the road that led to my house.

"See you both tomorrow!" I plastered a fake smile onto my face and beamed at the two of them.

Naruto returned the light expression and waved back with as much enthusiasm as I had, and then turned to walk down to his own home.  
Sasuke finally looked up, and his gaze met mine. It looked as though he was about to say something, but then his eyes narrowed slightly before turning his head and body away to face the road to the Uchiha estate.

"Yeah," was all he said- though it had been the first thing that he had said!- before leaving.

I stood alone on the pathway with a frown on my face before crushing my hand into a fist and then flicking my thumb high in a 'thumbs up'.

"Go team, huh?" I muttered to myself before rushing back to my waiting parents.

* * *

**So I have just gotten back into Naruto again, and I have returned to my old shippings of SasuSaku and Gaasaku. Yes...that is me, haha. And then, I just had to write a fanfiction for the pairing. And then I reading through the manga and saw that a few people tend to have a certain connection of sorts to a certain animal; Tsunade to slugs etc. So then I thought; what about a world where everyone's 'specialised' to a certain animal? Then, instead of ninjas, the people can train to bond with their companion species and fight using the animals' skills. **

**That is the basis of this fanfiction world. So, for example, if Naruto has the Pale Fox, then he will bond with his fox and use their abilities to fight. **

**Please review and tell me what you thought. As a heads up, I don't tend to update unless I get ten reviews; ten will at least give me a range of feedback that I can use to shape the next chapter. So, please review! **

**Next chapter: To the desert!**

**Team Seven:**

**Naruto- _The Pale Fox_**

**Sasuke- T_he Black Mamba_**

**Sakura-_ Kori Bustard_**


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